Autobiography

Hello, my name is Tim Riker. I was born and raised in Maryland. My parents and brother are all Deaf, and I am a second-generation Deaf person. ASL is my first language because my parents communicated with me in ASL as an infant and in the home. From 1985 to 1998, I attended the Maryland School for the Deaf, where the ASL-English bilingual approach is used. I enrolled at Georgetown University and earned a B.S. in Business Administration. After working in accounting and finance jobs, I returned to get a Certificate in Financial Planning and become a financial advisor. While working as a financial advisor, I enjoyed working with Deaf people and presenting about financial topics. That is when I found my passion working with Deaf people and in the ASL field. I have worked as an educator, advocate, Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI), mentor, and presenter on topics related to ASL, Deaf culture, and interpreting. Since 2013, I have been teaching ASL and Deaf Studies full-time at Brown University. In 2015, I earned my Masters in Sign Language Education from Gallaudet University. Currently, I am very active in the Deaf community, advocating for language equality and social & economic justice.